AdaCamp toolkit

AdaCamp was a popular and effective two-day unconference run by the Ada Initiative and dedicated to increasing women’s participation in open technology and culture. While no more AdaCamps will be held, the Ada Initiative is happy to share the open source AdaCamp Toolkit, which gives people the tools they need to run events similar to AdaCamp.

Running a feminist unconference

AdaCamp’s unconference model: AdaCamp was an unconference, but in order to have productive feminist discussion about women in open technology and culture, and be inclusive, we provided some structure and support in our unconference model.

Challenging topics and self-care: strategies for feminist unconference organizers to use to lower the risk of people being upset or hurt at your event, and strategies to share with participants about how to manage their own risk of being upset or hurt.

Managing applications to an invitation-only unconference: in order to achieve AdaCamp’s goals, we wanted to avoid filling the schedule with very introductory feminist content, or disputes about basic feminist principles. Thus, we asked that people apply to attend, and asked applicants to demonstrate some knowledge of feminism and some existing interest in open technology and culture.

Policies

The Ada Initiative, which led the push for anti-harassment policies at open technology and culture events, developed several additional policies for use at AdaCamp:

Venue evaluation: an evaluation designed to be completed by event staff during a visit to a venue, prior to booking the event

Offering a travel grant program: some of the difficulties you may encounter setting up a travel grants program, especially an international one, and some potential solutions.

Event sessions

Lightning talks: consider the AdaCamp Toolkit lightning talk model if you have a lot of novice speakers at your event and your event isn’t primarily about participants sitting listening to talks

Social events

Small group dinners: group dinners give attendees a chance to spend an extended period of time with a small enough group that they can get to know each other

Facilities

Inclusive event catering: AdaCamp aimed to cater tasty, nutritious food that all attendees could eat. But there are lots of tricks and traps to hitting all three of “tasty”, “nutritious” and “all attendees can eat”!

Demarcated access lanes: AdaCamps featured demarcated access lanes; corridors on the floor marked with tape in which people could move, but shouldn’t be stationary, allowing clear travel paths through the event.